Vibrant Blog

If you live in the Bay Area, you know you have limitless options for healthy, organic, local food and drink. So there’s no reason why your green wedding can’t have a super sustainable cake to represent your passion for the environment, and appreciation for the abundance we have available as California residents.

One of SF’s premier vegetarian restaurants, Millenium, offers made-to-order organic, vegan wedding cakes – and most of the ingredients are sourced locally. Miette Cakes, true to their farmer’s market beginnings, chooses organic, local, and sustainable ingredients for all their confections – they book up quickly for wedding cakes.

If you want your cake to reflect your ethical as well as environmental values, there are many in the Bay that will not let you down. Hannah’s Edible Arts commitment to support sustainable agriculture, fair trade, and humane treatment of animals shows in her fabulous artistic creations. True Confections Cakes in the East Bay takes great care in minimizing their environmental impact by delivering your cake using a ride-share service, reducing their energy use, and using biodegradable cleaning products. Clara Lindstrom, who has been baking gluten-free for 10 years, gets her ingredients from local farmers markets and works with a family owned dairy. Check out her wedding cake gallery at Simply the Best – the Devilish Ginger sounds decadent! We love that Edith Meyer chooses to use Green and Blacks Chocolate in her cakes, ensuring quality (it’s certified organic) and fair working conditions.

Origionally by Allen Norwood
From SouthPark Magazine

Every tiny stitch contributes to the perfect drape of a bespoke suit or couture gown.

At the new Ritz-Carlton hotel in uptown Charlotte, the smallest details add up to a similar sumptuous experience.

The Ritz-Carlton will seek LEED Gold designation for the building, a first for the company. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, as certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The building will be graded on such things as water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality, materials and furnishings.

In keeping with the green theme, the hotel includes a bike valet, offering guests complimentary use of Trek bicycles. Riders get a cycling map of Charlotte, water bottle, lock and safety helmet. Women’s bikes are equipped with baskets for shopping.

Among the features that will help the hotel earn grades for its certification:

– Plantings on the roof reduce urban heat, cutting the need for air conditioning. Irrigation for hotel plants comes from captured rainwater.

– Employee uniforms include materials made from recycled plastic.

– To cut down on plastic bottles, the hotel is equipped with an in-house water filtration and container system. Ritz-Carlton says that could eliminate 73,000 plastic bottles a year.

– The hotel will buy 35 percent of its electricity from a green power supplier the first two years.

– The building uses 30 percent less energy than a conventional hotel. Efficient plumbing fixtures cut water usage by 35 percent, saving 700,000 gallons the first year.

– The two-level wellness center atop the hotel uses organic and vegan products.

– Guest transportation is provided by a hybrid vehicle - and parking is free for hybrid and electric vehicles.

– The banquet spaces feature stylish tables made of recycled aluminum, reducing the need for table linens. Furniture is covered in recycled leather. “People want to hold green meetings, green weddings,” Nowak says. “We can accommodate both.”